Shop Small And Shop Local Gift Guide For Mother’s Day

We encourage you to shop small and shop local for Mother’s Day this year because small business owners need help and support to keep their doors open during the pandemic. Everything on our gift list this year comes from small businesses in Ohio. The special mom in your life may not need much and she may even tell you not to shop for her this year, but a gift will brighten her day and yours–and will be a special encouragement to any business owner.

If you buy something from this list, we’d love to hear about it on social media! Share it (tag us @salteffect and the company) to help out all small businesses, like us, even more. Word of mouth is something we rely on and appreciate–it’s how we found most of the companies on this list!

This post contains some affiliate links – we earn a small commission if you purchase through our links, and we appreciate your support.

You’ll find family keepsake gifts, home decor gifts, jewelry and apparel gifts, food and drink gifts, and floral gifts below. Enjoy shopping small!

Family Keepsake Gifts

Bucket List Journal from Blink Box 

The summer of social distancing is coming up, so help her be creative and document a summer bucket list with her family. This journal from Blink Box includes 74 interactive loose leaf pages to help you go beyond digital images. The 5×7 pages are packaged inside a keepsake kraft colored box. You can choose other themes like birthdays, first year, anniversaries and more.

Custom Watercolor from Lighthouse Sketchbook

A custom watercolor house painting is a beautiful way to capture the memory of where she grew up, the first home she bought or a favorite vacation cabin. The options are endless, and the work is beautiful! I almost didn’t include this one because it won’t be shipped in time for Mother’s Day, but you can order one of the artist’s watercolor cards to let your loved one know a personalized gift is on its way.

Handwriting Pillow from AbbyKate Home

A handwriting pillow is a perfect way to connect when you can’t see each other in person. With all the time at home, walking past this gift will make her smile every time. I ordered a handwriting pillow from Abby for Christmas—it was perfect. It’s why she’s on so many of our gift lists!

Home Decor Gifts

Candle from The Candle Lab

The Candle Lab hosted an event for us last summer and it was so much fun! I thought I’d never figure out what scents to use for a candle, but they have experts to help and everyone loved the final product. I’m partial to the coffee scents because I miss being able to grade in a coffee shop. Even though you can’t take her to a store in person right now, they have some beautiful products online, including single candles, give packages, home fragrances and bath and body. Maybe it’s easier to choose one of their 140 scents from a picture? I can promise you that everything smells exactly like you imagine it would—it’s unreal.

  

Wood Word from Tiny House Vintage and Art

Tiny House Vintage and Art has beautiful laser cut and hand-painted signs. Both the sign and the “welcome” word are available from this custom sign company in Delaware, Ohio. Someday, we’ll be able to welcome people into our homes again, and she’ll be ready.

Canvas Print from Custom Envy

Did you know you can order a canvas print from a small business? We love Shutterfly, but we’ll shop small whenever we can. A work friend of ours owns Custom Envy with her husband and we’ve been fans of their customizable products since their company launched 7 years ago. They’ve given us a special code for our readers! Use SALT10 for 10% off your purchase.

Wreath from Charming Hollow Designs

A custom wreath is a beautiful way to dress up a front door–especially now that everyone is walking by! If you live near Stark County in NE Ohio, Jennifer offers no-contact pick up. Supplies are shipping more slowly, but she’ll let you know what she has on hand. I just ordered one as a gift and love how it turned out.

 

Jewelry & Apparel Gifts

Necklace from Mountain Feather Designs

When I read about the owner, Kayla, I couldn’t believe how much we have in common—a bit of a different journey in motherhood, a strong faith and a love of the mountains. Her jewelry was recommended by a mom who took our last workshop. This necklace is engraved with an actual hand print, and you can choose from several different types and chains.

Earrings from Pash Leather

These leather earrings are perfect for the mom who’s spending a lot more time on Zoom than she ever imagined. Run by two art teacher moms in Akron, Ohio, Pash Leather is offering Buy 2 Get 1 Free for Mother’s Day! Get your custom order in by Sunday, May 3–and add sterling silver hooks for only $1.

  

T-Shirt from Col House Designs

Our gift lists are never complete without a graphic tee! If she misses a night out of chips, salsa, margaritas and friends as much as I do, you won’t go wrong with this shirt. Col House Designs also has one of our favorite Instagram accounts–their stories always make us laugh!

Hat from Shelly Lou’s Lids

If she loves wearing hats or just appreciates an excuse not to do her hair, you’ll find really cute ones with a vintage look from Shelly Lou’s Lids in Columbus. She has several Ohio hats–like these–along with a few other states and logos. She gave our readers a special code for 10% off: HATS10.

 

Food & Drink Gifts

Petite Baked Treats from Miam Cake

Any treats from Scarlett Kilzer’s kitchen are absolutely stunning. I almost hate to destroy the artistry by eating them–but they’re so delicious you won’t be able to help yourself. We ordered some macarons before the pandemic, and I had to keep telling my tween and teen boys that they were meant to be savored! They ignored me, of course, and the macarons disappeared almost immediately. If you’re local to Columbus, order a special Mother’s Day package that includes chocolate bon bons, biscotti, mini cupcakes, a petite bundt and more.

Simple Syrup from Root 23

I gifted a sampler pack to my mother-in-Law last year after we included Root 23 Syrups on our 2019 gift list. Two Columbus moms sell all-natural small batch syrups for easy cocktail or non-alcoholic drink recipes. It was something fun and different from what I usually give. A reader was excited to recommend them—her favorite is Grapefruit Basil in tea or lemonade—so I may be ordering some for myself this year.

  

Coffee from Silver Bridge Coffee

If she’s a coffee lover, help her stay caffeinated with a gift basket from Silver Bridge Coffee. This Athens coffee roaster has a variety of flavors and grinds to choose from, including disposable k-cups.

Wine from Gervasi Vineyard

If you’ve never been to Gervasi Vineyard in Canton, Ohio, you need to schedule a trip as soon as we’re all able to travel again. I grew up near Canton, and when I drive into this 55-acre estate, I feel like I’ve stepped into a different world. Until you can take her to visit, gift her a beautiful bottle of their wine.

 

Mug from Queen Bee Designs Co and Modern Mom Store

Yes, I love mugs, and these mugs from Queen Bee Designs Co. and Modern Mom Store made me laugh. Between my 2 boys and husband, I’ve called 911 four times in the last 10 years. And I definitely had an attitude when I was growing up–my mom only drank tea, but I think she would have welcomed anything that made life with me a little easier.

  

Plants & Floral Gifts

Plants from Groovy Plants Ranch

No matter where you live, Groovy Plants Ranch has a huge selection of unique and unusual plants available to ship from their shop north of Columbus. Take a look at their air plants and succulents for some pretty but relatively low maintenance options. I got lost in browsing all the plants on their site, so give yourself some time to choose. They also have curbside pickup if you’re local to Central Ohio. This was an immediate recommendation from another small business we love: Ice and Dust Pottery.

  

Flowers from Lendon Floral

Fresh flowers are always a hit, and we had to include Lendon Floral when two people in different parts of the country recommended them. And then I found out they’re also Malone University alums where I went to school. Small world! This sounds like the go-to flower shop if you’re local to St. Clairsville, Ohio.